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Chapter 2
Healthcare HR Competencies, Structures, and Quality Standards
MULTIPLE CHOICE
- Competence includes ______.
A.A list of skills
B.An employee’s attitude
C.Neither A nor B
D.Both A and B
ANSWER: D – Page 21
- Today’s healthcare HR professional must possess ______.
A.Business knowledge
B.Various behavioral competencies
C.Appropriate education
D.All of the above
ANSWER: D – Pages 22 – 24
3.Intrapersonal and interpersonal skills such as self-regulation, social skills, and self-motivation are all examples of ______.
- behavioral competencies
- emotional intelligence
- technical competencies
- functional intelligence
ANSWER: B – Page 23
4.An effective HR leader must ______.
A.Have a graduate degree
B.Be an aggressive negotiator
C.Possess self-awareness
D.All of the above
ANSWER: C – Page 23 Figure 2-2
5.Core competencies for the HR Manager include ______.
A.Ability to focus on the present
B.Ability to work in isolation
C.Emotional intelligence
D.Report analysis skills
ANSWER: C – Page 23
6.HR professionals typically ______.
A.Work a 40-hour work week
B.Have a great deal of organizational power
C.Get their position through internal promotion
D.Have difficulty finding certified continuing education programs
ANSWER: B – Page 24
7.A requirement for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) designation is ______.
A.8 years of professional HR experience
B.A graduate degree
C.5 years of management experience
D.Passage of a comprehensive examination
ANSWER: D – Page 24 Figure 2-3
8.Which of the following is a certification program designed for HR specialists?
- Certified Compensation Professionals (CCP)
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
- Certified Performance Technologist (CPT)
- All of the above
ANSWER: D – Pages 24-25
9.When HR leaders report directly to the CEO, what is an intended consequence?
- The HR leader is further removed from the line level employees.
- The HR leader will typically earn higher compensation.
- HR will participate in broader organizational decision making.
- All of the above.
ANSWER: C – Page 25
10.The level and type of HR function that exists in the various healthcare sites is most significantly influenced by ______.
A.The geographic location of the organization
B.The size and type of the organization
C.The experience of the CEO
D.The experience of the HR professional
ANSWER: B – Page 25
11.Two useful ways to measure HR are to look at ______.
A.Staffing ratios and training budget, relative to competitors
B.Staffing ratios and total budget expenditure, relative to other industries
C.Training budget as a subset of total budget
D.Number of salaried versus hourly employees
ANSWER: B – Page 27
12.The Bureau of National Affairs regularly surveys ______.
A.Customer satisfaction
B.CEO compensation levels
C.HR activities, budget and staffing
D.Political positions on key topics
ANSWER: C – Page 27
13.According to the Bureau of National Affairs, the median ratio of HR department staff to total headcount for all industries is ______.
A.1:100
B.1:200
C.1:300
D.1:400
ANSWER: A – Page 27
14.Which industry has the lowest ratio of HR staff per 100 employees?
A.Transportation and utilities
B.Healthcare
C.Wholesale trade
D.None of the above
ANSWER: C – Page 27 Figure 2-5
15.Which industry has the highest median cost of HR expenditures per employees?
A.Transportation and utilities
B.Healthcare
C.Wholesale trade
D.None of the above
ANSWER: A – Page 27 Figure 2-5
16.The median cost in healthcare of HR expenditures per employees is ______.
A.$1,709
B.$965
C.$636
D.$259
ANSWER: B – Page 27 Figure 2-5
17.As healthcare HR departments take steps to demonstrate their organizational importance, they must ______.
A.Chair internal committees
B.Conduct employee satisfaction surveys
C.Consider the promotional opportunities for their department
D.Provide quantitative measures of their productivity
ANSWER: D – Page 28
18.Which of the following is a common Human Resource ratio and measure for assessment?
A.Total compensations costs to total revenue
B.Average time to fill openings
C.Absenteeism rates
D.All of the above
ANSWER: D – Page 28 Figure 2-6
19.HR ratios and measurements are only useful when compared to other data. Comparison methodology includes ______.
- internal data only
- external data only
- both internal and external data
- external data when compared only to the same industry segment
ANSWER: C – Page 28
20.Oftentimes, organizations will achieve JCAHO accreditation but will be given recommendations in certain areas to undertake improvement. These recommendations are referred to as ______.
A.Borderline Performance Issues
B.Improvement Areas
C.Type 1s
D.JCAHO Target Areas
ANSWER: C – Page 30
21.Sources of evidence for JCAHO’s HR standards include ______.
- Organizational and departmental policies and procedures
- Staff compensation reports
- Records on recruitment efforts
- All of the above
ANSWER: A – Page 30
22.The healthcare HR leader has which of the following responsibilities with regard to JCAHO?
- Training staff
- Providing adequate numbers of competent staff
- Defining staff qualifications and performance expectations
- All of the above
ANSWER: D – Page 30 Figure 2-7
23.Organizations have identified ______as the primary reason for sentinel events.
- insufficient employee staffing
- insufficient orientation and training
- employee competency and credentialing issues
- none of the above
ANSWER: B – Page 31
TRUE-FALSE
- Emotional intelligence is considered a core competency for HR Managers.
ANSWER: True – Page 23
2.One of the behavior competencies required in order to be an effective HR professional is risk adversity.
ANSWER: False – Page 23
A necessary behavioral competency for HR professionals is risk taking, meaning the ability to take reasonable risks and being comfortable with the possibility of failure.
3.The most well-known certification program for HR generalists is administered by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).
ANSWER: True – Page 24
4.Placement of healthcare HR departments varies widely in healthcare organizations.
ANSWER: True – Page 25
5.According to the Bureau of National Affairs, the median ratio of HR department staff to total headcount for healthcare is 1:100.
ANSWER: False – Page 27 Figure 2-5
The median ratio for healthcare is 0.7:100.
6.According to the Bureau of National Affairs, healthcare has the highest median ratio of HR staff to 100 employees.
ANSWER: False – Page 27 Figure 2-5
Transportation/warehousing and utilities is the highest with 1.6:100.
7.HR metrics are specific measure tied to HR performance indicators.
ANSWER: True – Page 28
8.Sole practitioner physicians are not yet feeling the pressure from healthcare plans to disclose outcome or patient satisfaction information.
ANSWER: False – Page 29
Patient care monitors such as this are having a significant impact on the healthcare industry at every level.
9.The dominant quality review organization for healthcare in the U.S. is the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
ANSWER: True – Page 29
10.An organization will not achieve JCAHO accreditation if it is required to make improvements.
ANSWER: False – Pages 29-30
Oftentimes, surveyed organizations will achieve overall accreditation, but will be given recommendations in certain areas to undertake improvement. These recommendations are referred to as Type 1s.
11.Departmental policies and procedures are examples of JCAHO’s evidence of performance for HR standards.
ANSWER: True – Page 30
12.HR standards are not the exclusive domain of the HR professionals in healthcare organizations.
ANSWER: True – Pages 30-31
13.It is not necessary to determine the credentials of individuals who are not employees of the organization, for example, contracted individuals and those who utilize the facility to provide care to their patients.
ANSWER: False – Page 31
All staff must have their qualifications and competence assessed to ensure the quality of patient care delivery.
14.JCAHO holds HR professionals as ultimate responsibility for the HR standards in an organization.
ANSWER: False – Page 31
JCAHO evaluates the extent to which these standards are met through a multidisciplinary approach.
15.A sentinel event is one in which an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious injury could occur.
ANSWER: True – Page 31
ESSAY
- List at least 5 key competencies of an HR professional
Strategic contribution
Personal credibility
HR delivery
Business knowledge
HR technology
Self-awareness
Social skills
Social awareness
Self-regulation
Self-motivation
ANSWER: Pages 22 – 23 Figures 2-1 and 2-2
- List the HR Management credentials and name the administrator of the most well-known certification program.
The Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designations are administered by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), which is affiliated with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).
ANSWER: Page 24
- Describe at least 3 of the processes used to ensure that consumers of healthcare in the U.S. receive their care from a provider who is competent and safe.
Governmental oversight through the Medicare reimbursement program.
Local, county, and state health department oversight.
Independent agencies who supply quality review information on health insurance plans and their preferred providers.
Quality review organizations that perform comprehensive standard-based assessments of their subscribing members.
ANSWER: Page 29
- Describe the four broad processes used to achieve the goals of the HR function as stated by the JCAHO.
Planning – Defines the qualifications, competencies, and staffing necessary to fulfill the provider’s mission.
Providing competent staff – The staff includes both employees of the organization and those contracted to provide service or care. Applicants’ credentials must be assessed and confirmed prior to employment or service delivery.
Assessing, maintaining, and improving staff competence – This includes ongoing periodic competence assessment and performance evaluation of staff to ensure the continuing ability of staff to perform.
Promoting self-development and learning – Leaders encourage self-development and continued learning.
ANSWER: Page 31